How to Set Short-Term Career Goals
We all know that a successful career starts from a well-built career plan. You will need a roadmap that charts the journey where you are now and where you want to see in the future. Short-term career goals should be a part of this plan.
Setting short-term goals can help you succeed in your career and advance your skills and performance. No matter what your profession is or in which industry you work, career development goals help you in monitoring your professional growth. So it is essential to understand short-term career goals and how you can set them.
In this article, we will describe short-term goals and provide some steps that will help you create your own goals.
What Are Short-Term Career Goals?
Short-term career goals are small professional objectives that take only a few years to complete. They act as small steps toward your long-term career goals.
For example, if you want to become a software engineer, it will be your long-term goal, and to accomplish it, you will set short-term goals of earning a relevant degree and doing an internship in that field. When you set and achieve your objectives, it will help you improve your productivity in the workplace and increase job satisfaction.
Setting good short-term goals can propel your career forward and guide you toward achieving your long-term aspirations.
Here are some examples of short-term career goals:
- Organizing your work environment
- Attending a relevant conference
- Updating your resume
- Earning a certificate
- Learning advanced skills
- Connecting with industry professionals
- Working to improve time management
- Researching topics in your field
- Build capacity and credibility
What Is The Importance Of Short-Term Goals?
It is important to set short-term goals even if you are unsure of which direction you want your career to go. One of the first short-term goals you can set is to determine your long-term goals.
Short-term career goals are crucial because they help you keep track of your progress toward your medium and long-term objectives. They allow you to assess whether you are making effective progress or need adjustments to reach your bigger goals.
By breaking down your long-term objectives into smaller, manageable tasks, short-term goals provide a clear path to success and help you avoid procrastination. They enable you to achieve your long-term goals more efficiently.
How to Create Short-Term Career Goals?
Here are some important steps that you can follow to create your short-term career goals:
1. Determine What You Want To Achieve
Before starting to set your short-term goals, take some time to reflect on what you want to accomplish in your professional life. This reflection can help you develop a list of goals you aspire to achieve within the next year, decade, or even over your lifetime.
Once you have this list, consider which goals are most important and deserve your focus, so you can prioritize and narrow it down. This refined list can be a valuable starting point as you create your short-term career goals.
2. Be Accountable
The research study gathered input from a diverse group of 149 individuals worldwide, including entrepreneurs, educators, attorneys, bankers, and professionals ranging from employees to executives. These participants were divided into five groups based on their responses and actions.
The first group simply thought about their goals, while the second group took the additional step of writing down their goals. The third group went a step further by writing down their goals and creating action plans to guide them in achieving them. Participants in the fourth group took it a step further by sharing their action plans with a trusted friend.
Finally, participants in the fifth group took a more structured approach by sharing their action plans and sending weekly progress reports to their friends who possessed a copy of their action plans.
After four weeks, the participants were asked to assess whether they had successfully achieved their goals based on their actions.
3. Divide Larger Goals into Smaller Ones
It is helpful to break larger goals into smaller, manageable tasks to progress toward your larger career goals. You can start by selecting one main goal and then determining the necessary steps to achieve it. Alternatively, you can focus on a few mid-sized objectives aligning with your career aspirations. These smaller tasks become the building blocks that define your short-term career goals.
Short-term goals tend to be more specific and focused compared to long-term goals. They provide a clear direction and actionable steps to achieve your larger objectives.
By breaking down your bigger goals into smaller, achievable milestones, you can make steady progress and maintain a sense of momentum. These short-term goals act as stepping stones that lead you closer to your ultimate career ambitions.
4. Set Your Goals By Priority
After compiling your list of short-term career goals, it’s beneficial to prioritize them based on their importance and urgency. Take time to evaluate which goals are most significant for you and align closely with your career vision. Consider the goals that require the most effort and dedication, as they may require more time and resources.
Additionally, identify goals that have time-sensitive aspects or deadlines attached to them. By organizing your short-term goals in order of priority, you gain clarity on where to focus your energy and resources.
This prioritization allows you to allocate your time effectively and make progress on the most significant objectives first. It helps you avoid feeling overwhelmed and ensures that you tackle the goals with the greatest potential for advancing your career. Remember to periodically reassess and adjust the order of your goals as circumstances evolve and new opportunities arise.
5. Make A Career Plan
Once you have identified your short-term career goals, it’s important to determine the necessary steps to achieve each. Take the time to research and assess whether any of your goals require specific materials, resources, or additional support. It will enable you to create a well-defined action plan for each objective and effectively map out the tasks needed.
In your action plan, describe each goal clearly and detailed. Outline the specific measures or indicators you can use to evaluate the progress you make along the way. It helps you stay motivated and focused as you can track your advancements and see the tangible results of your efforts.
By breaking down your goals into actionable steps and setting measurable milestones, you better understand what needs to be accomplished. It allows you to prioritize tasks based on the level of effort required and the impact they will have on reaching your objectives. It also helps you stay organized and focused, ensuring you know exactly what needs to be done to progress toward your short-term career goals.
6. Make A Schedule
Creating a schedule can greatly assist you in effectively managing your time and dedicating the appropriate amount of focus to your goals. Assigning specific timelines to your goals allows you to break them down into manageable tasks and plan how to work on them daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly.
Digital tools can help organize and create your schedule, but keeping a physical copy can also be a tangible reminder. Following your schedule, you can maintain consistent progress toward your short-term career goals.
However, it’s important to remain flexible and open to adjustments as needed. Life can bring unexpected changes or opportunities, and adaptability allows you to accommodate them without losing sight of your objectives. Regularly reviewing and adjusting your schedule ensures that you stay on track and make the most of your time, ultimately increasing your chances of achieving your goals.
Tips For Creating Short-Term Career Goals
Here are some tips that can help you in setting your short-term career goals:
i. Make Specific Objectives
When setting short-term goals, it is important to be specific and define clear parameters. For instance, if your goal is to earn a certificate, it is helpful to record the specific name of the certification you are targeting and outline the steps needed to achieve it.
You can create a more focused roadmap toward your goal by being specific. Instead of a vague desire to earn a certificate, identify the exact certification you aim for. It could be a professional certification in your expertise or a specific skill you want to develop.
ii. Always Create Measurable Goals
When you keep your goals measurable, it will be easier for you to track your progress.
For example, if your goal is to improve communication skills, you should create a goal to practice communicating with 10 of your colleagues each week.
iii. Set Positive Goals
Instead of making your goals related to the things you want to avoid, set positive objectives that you want to achieve. For example, instead of setting a goal to stop being late to work, a more effective approach would be to arrive early to work and manage your time effectively.
Shifting the focus to arriving early and managing time allows for a more proactive and positive approach to addressing punctuality. Rather than avoiding being late, you aim to be ahead of schedule.
iv. Try To Set Achievable Goals
When setting your career goals, it is essential to stay realistic and set challenging goals that you can achieve. This way, you can ensure you have the necessary skills, resources, and time to accomplish your goals.
v. Design Relevant Goals
When setting goals that align with your midterm and long-term career objectives, ensuring their relevance to your desired path is important.
For instance, if you aspire to pursue a management position in your industry, a precise short-term goal would be actively improving your leadership skills.
vi. Assign Action To Each Goal
Pair each short-term goal with relevant action. For example, if you have set a goal to improve your performance at work, you can ask your manager for regular feedback.
vii. Create a Timeline
Creating a schedule and setting clear deadlines for your short-term career goals are important. It will help you stay on track and know when you have accomplished each objective.
viii. Recognize Your Achievements
Celebrating your accomplishments is a fantastic way to stay motivated and keep up your momentum. Having something positive to look forward to as you work on each task is important.
Final Thought - Short Term Goals
Setting short-term career goals is an essential part of building a successful career. These goals are small steps toward your long-term objectives and help you monitor your professional growth.
You can make steady progress and maintain momentum by breaking down large goals into smaller, manageable tasks. It is important to prioritize your goals based on their importance and urgency and create a well-defined action plan for each objective.
Developing a schedule and assigning clear deadlines will help you stay on track and celebrate your achievements. Following these steps and staying committed to your goals can pave the way for a fulfilling and rewarding career.
